Apparatus for affixing fastening elements to fur garments



Oct. 18, 1955 A. A. LITTMAN 2,720,651

APPARATUS FOR AFFIXING FASTENING ELEMENTS TO FUR GARMENTS Filed Aug. 18,1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ARTHUR A.L|TTMAN ATTORNEYS Oct. 18, 1955A. A. LITTMAN 2,720,651

APPARATUS FOR AFFIXPNG FASTENING ELEMENTS TO FUR GA'RMENTS Filed Aug.18, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ARTHUR A.LITTMAN ATTORNEYS UnitedStates Patent APPARATUS FOR AFFIXING FASTENING ELEMENTS TO FUR GARMENTSArthur A. Littman, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application August 18, 1952, Serial No. 304,987

1 Claim. (Cl. 14)

This invention appertains to fur garment making and more particularly tonew and improved fastening elements and novel apparatus for securing thesame to the garments.

A salient feature of my invention is to provide a special new type ofhook,'eye and reinforcing element; and improved machines for securingthe fastening elements respectively to a fur garment in accordance withthe method disclosed inmy co-pending application filed August I7, 1951,for Apparatus for Affixing Fastening Elements to For Garments, SerialNo. 242,206, and issued as U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,702,901, on March1, 1955; and which fastening elements and apparatus shown and describedherein are also further improvements over the fastening elements andapparatus disclosed in my copending application filed September 15,1951, Serial No. 246,773, and issued as U. S. Letters Patent No.2,674,735, on April 15,1954.

Briefly this method of affixing fastening elements to fur garments whichis more fully disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial No.242,206, relates to a new and novel means of applying the hooks and moreparticularly the eyes to a finished garment without the necessity ofslitting the 'fur, removing the garment lining, or sewing the elementsthereto.

One of the primary objects of my present invention is to provide new andnovel reinforcing elements for the hooks and eyes which greatlyimprovesthe security and strength of the fastening elements shown and describedin my eo-pending applications.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved eye element inwhich the shank portion of the eye lies parallel to the eye loop and thejoining stretches of which lie substantially in the same vertical planeas the sharp prong terminals so that the shank portion will overlie thefur to protect the same when the sharp prong terminals are securelyfastened to the hide; the joining stretches and sharp prong terminalsbeing particularly adapted to steady and hold the eye against movementwhen the same is in place on the machine.

Still another object of my invention is to provide the cooperatingreinforcing element for the hooks and eyes with a center bar portion anda surrounding body portion which lies under the hide in such a'mannerthat during the clinching operation the sharp prong terminals willextend around the bar portion and back into the fur whereby the tensionand pull of the fastening elements is spread evenly over a largersurface of the under portion of the hide so that the fastening elementscan not be readily torn from the garment.

A more specific object of my invention is to form the reinforcer orreinforcing element from a single length of heavy gauge wire which inone variation is bent in the form of a closed sharp cornered S to form arectangular body with a centrally positioned transverse bar portion.

Another important object of my invention is to provide animproved typeof machine for firmly securing the fastening elements in position on thefur and which in- Patented Oct. 18, 1955 cludes a spring tensionedslidable guide and gripping element in the head of the machine whichcooperates with the anvil to firmly grip and hold the hide againstmovement and in the proper position during the operation necessary foraflixing the fastening elements thereto.

A further object of my invention is to provide the head of one of mymachines with means particularly adapted to support and hold the eyeelement in the proper position and to provide a modified head which isparticularly adapted to hold the hook element in the proper position.

A still further object of my invention is to provide the spring guideand gripping element of my machine with grooves which receive therespective vertical portions of the fastening elements to firmly holdthe same in place and which upon actuation of the machine will tend toguide and straighten out any deformities in the hooks or eyes therein.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a modified anvilmember which includes a rearwardly extending resilient finger upon whichthe anvil is mounted and which enables the machine to be used where theeye is to be placed close to the edge of the garment and between theedge fold.

A further important object of my invention is to provide the anvilmember of my machine with means for holding the reinforcer orreinforcing element for the hooks and eyes in proper position on theanvil so that the sharp prong terminals of the hook or eye will beclinched about the same on the under part of the hide.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a simple, practical,and reliable construction that is economical to manufacture, easy toassemble and positive in its operation.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel construction, arrangement and formation of parts as willhereinafter be more specifically described, claimed and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my new and improved machine foraflixing the eye and the reinforcing element to the hide, and showing inparticular the rearwardly extending resilient finger upon which theanvil is mounted when it is desired to attach the eye to the edge foldof the garment and prior to the clinching operation, parts of the headand anvil member being broken away to illustrate certain details ofconstruction.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section through the head ofthe machine shown in Figure l of the drawings but showing the parts inposition after pressure has been put upon the head to turn the sharpprong terminals of the eye under the bar of the reinforcing element andback into the hide during the clinching operation, the section beingtaken on the line 22 of Figure 4 and looking in the direction of thearrows;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section through the head of my machine taken onthe line 3--3 of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section through the head of mymachine the section being taken on the line 44 of Figure 2 and lookingin the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the head or hammer memberof my machine, the eye member being shown partly in section and the viewbeing repre sented by the line 5-5 of Figure 2 looking in the di'rection of the arrows;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of the anvil portion of mymachine partly in section, the same being represented by the line 6-6 ofFigure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

' ment is to be placed beyond the edge fold of the garment;

Figure is a side elevational view of my machine used for afiixing thehook element to the fur garment showing how the guide and grippingelement holds the fur in position and against movement during thestapling operation;

Figure 11 is a vertical section through the head of the machine shown,in Figure 10 the section being on the line 1111 of Figure 13 looking inthe direction of the arrows and illustrating in particular the finalstep in clinching or affixing the hook to'the garment;

Figure 12 is a front elevational view partly in section of the machineshown in Figure 10, the section'being taken on the line'12 12 of Figure10 looking in the direction of the arrows and illustrating in particularhow the guide and gripping element not only holds the fur garmentagainst movement but also. forms a guide for the sharp prong terminalsof the fastening element and aids in holding the hook in my machine;

Figure 13 is a vertical'section taken through the head of my machineshown in Figure 10, the section being taken on the line 13-13 of Figure11 and looking in the direction of the arrows; r I Figure 14 is a bottomplan view of the hammer or head of my machine the hook element beingshown partly in section, the view being represented by the line 14-14 ofFigure 11 and looking in the direction of the arrows; Figure 15 is aside elevational perspective view of my improved hook element; and

Figure 16 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of a garment or hide showinga modified form of a reinforcing element with the sharp prong terminalsof the eyes clinched about the same. 7

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein similar referencecharacters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,the letter A (Fig. 1) generally indicates my novel machine which isutilized to aflix the eye element to the fur. garment and the letter B(Fig. 10) generally indicates my novel machine which is utilized to,afiix the hook elements to the fur garments and which are improvementsover the machine shown and described in my co-pending application.

In the preferred embodiments of the machines A and B I form the basemember 20 from a relatively thin strip of metal provided at its rear endwith a transverse supporting portion 21 which gives stability to thebase. Centrally positioned on the rear transverse portions are a pair ofupstanding ears 22 to which is pivoted a U- shaped frame 23 whichsupports the head or hammer member 24 of the machines. The head 24 ofboth of the machines includes a casing 25 formed at the top with ahandpressure member 26. The front portion of the casing 25 is closed by aremovable plate 27 which is secured by means of the bolts 28'. The frontplate 27 is also provided with an elongated centrally positioned slot28. f

Referring now to my machine A, which is particularly adapted to hold theeye element E (illustrated in Figure 7 of the drawings) in its properposition; the same includes a sliding guide and gripping member 29 whichis slidably mounted within the housing 25. The upper portion of theguide and gripping member 29 is thickened at 30 and extending centrallythrough a'bore formed therein is a forwardly extending pin 31. The outerend of the pin 31 is adapted to be gripped by the hand and movedupwardly to the dotted line position shown in Figure 1 of the drawingswhen it is desired to place the 7 eye element E on its holding member 32of the hammer portion 33. The pin 31 extends entirely through the.

thickened portion 30 of the guide and gripping'member 29 to form a rearprojection 34 which slides up and down in the vertically positionedrounded recess 35 formed in ,the rear portion of the housing 25. Therounded recess 35, in turn, houses a spring 36 one end of which bearsagainst the projection 34 of pin 31 to continuously urge the guide andgripping member 29 to its. full line extended position illustrated inFigure 1.

As disclosed in my co-pending applications,- it often 7 becomesnecessary after fitting a garment to an individual to place the eye Ewithin the edge fold 37 "of the fur garment G and it is to be rememberedthat the lining L and edge fold 37 have already been stitched in place;In order to secure the eye E to the edge fold 37 with- V out disturbingthe stitching, lining'or edge fold, I provide a rearwardly extendingresilient finger 39 upon which the anvil 38 is mounted and the other endof which is riveted to the end 40 of thebasemember 20 by means of therivets 41.

In'this manner the thin front base member 20 and finger 39 may heslipped betweenthe stitches 42' of the lining L in the garment G andthen pulled rearwardly where the anvil tip 38 will slip between the lineof stitches 43 of the edge fold 37 to the proper pre-selected positionof the eye. Of course, if the eye is to be located beyond the edge told37, the resilient finger 39 mayv be eliminated and as illustrated inFigure 9 the anvil 38" merely slipped between the line of stitches 42 ofthe garment G and the lining L to the desired position beyond the edgefold 37. It is also to be noted thatactually the form illustrated inFigure 1 of the drawings could 7 conceivably be utilized for thispurpose as the base portion 20 is long enough to move the anvil 38beyond the edge fold. However, it ismore practical to provide themodified anvil 38 (Fig. 9) for this purpose.v It is also to be notedthat the spring finger 39 (Fig. 1) extends.

rearwardly on the base portion 20 and is provided with a shortvertically extending piece 44 :which is of the approximate thickness ofthehide H of they garment G and will prevent the hide from Wedgingbetween the finger 39 and the base 20 when the hide is pulled rearwardlyto that distance. 7 7

A most, important feature of theabove invention relates to, thereinforcer Rillustra ted more particularly in V Figure 8 of the drawingsand. which is held to the anvil 38 of the machine as illustrated more,clearly in Figure 6 of the drawings by means of a clip 45 which extendsbeneath the anvil 38 and is provided with folded edges 46 which grip thetop portion of the anvil end 38. The edge folds 46 are provided at oneend with'upstanding portions 47 which cooperate to form a'socket forreceiving one end of the reinforcer R and to hold the same in its properaligned position during the stapling operation in such a manner that theend terminals of'the eye E entering the grooves 48 of the anvil memberwill be turned around the center bar 50 of the reinforcer and thenceback up to the hide Has illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings. Thereinforcer. R distribute the tension and the stress and strain, over alarger area beneath the hide of the. agrmentG and therefore forms asupport and reinforcement for thetastening elements so that the'same cannot be accidentally torn from the hide with the resultant mutilation ofthe same. "The reinforcer R may be made in any desired shape so long asmeans is provided for the prong terminals of the fastening elements toextend around the :reinforcer to 7 hold thesame to the under portion ofthe hide. However, in the preferred embodiment I form the reinforcer Rof a single strip of heavy gauged wire in the shape of a closed 8 orrectangle 49 which is provided with a transversercenterbar 50 aroundwhich the prong terminals of the fastening elements extend. .If desired,.as

illustrated in' Figure 16 of the drawings','I may merely V form thereinforcer R as a 'contiuous length'of wire 51 which may be laid on theunder side of the hide or cloth garment H and around which the prongterminals 52 of the fastening elements E are clinched.

The fastening elements also form an important part of my invention andit is to be particularly noted that in the preferred form of my improvedeye member E that the same is constructed from a single length of heavygauged wire bent to form an eye loop 53, a shank portion 54 and sharpprong terminals 52. It is also to be noted that the shank portion 54 andthe eye loop portion 53 are bent to lie in parallel horizontal planesand that the prong terminal portions 52 and the stretches 55 which jointhe eye loop 53 with the shank 54 lie in substantially the same verticalplane and that the outer stretches 56 of the shank 54 and the innerstretches 57 are parallel and lie in the same horizontal plane. While Imay utilize a cloth covering for the fastening elements, I prefer tocover the wire with a coating C of a plastic material having a velvettouch or feel and it is to be noted that the coating terminates at 58well above the ends of the prong terminals 52. This enables the sharpprong terminals to easily enter the hide and to be clinched theretofreely without disturbing the coating in any manner.

The shank portion 54 of the eye E lies on the upper portion of thegarment G and protects the fur or other material from wear and rubbingwith the hook 59 when the fastener elements are in a closed position.

Referring now to Figure 15, it will be noted that the coating C on thehook 59 also terminates well above the ends of the prong terminals 60.The hook 59 is also formed from a single length of heavy gauge wire toform a shank 61 and the hook portion 62 which lie in parallel horizontalplanes.

When the eye is placed on the machine A as illustrated in Figure l ofthe drawings, the guide and gripping member 29 is moved upwardly to itsdotted line position and it is to be noted that the inner surface 63 ofthe guide and gripper member 29 (Fig. 4) is provided with a pair ofinner grooves 64 and outer grooves 65. The inner grooves 64 receive thesharp prong terminals 52 of the eyes and the outer grooves hold andguide the stretches 55 which join the eye loop 53 with the shank 54. Theguide member 29 is then released and is re turned under spring pressureto its lowered position where it presses against the hide of the garmentG. In this manner the eye is firmly held in its proper position for theclinching operation and any deformities or bends in the eye will bequickly and easily straightened during the clinching operation. Aspreviously explained, to affix the eye firmly to the fur garment, it ismerely necessary to ascertain the proper position of the eye (during thefitting operation) and then to move the anvil 38 under the garment oredge fold 37 to that position. The reinforcer has, of course, beenplaced in the socket 47 and is in its proper position over the grooves48 of the anvil 38. Pressure is then exerted on the hand portion 26 andthe hide H is firmly gripped between the lower end of the guide andgripping member 29 and the top surface of the anvil 38 where it will befirmly held against movement during the clinching operation illustratedin particular by Figure 2. The guide and gripping member 29, of course,is moved upwardly against spring tension as the head is moveddownwardly. After the eye E and reinforcer R have been secured in place,the stapling machine A is removed and it is to be particularly notedthat the fur is protected on its upper portion by means of the loopsformed by the stretches 56 and 57 of the shank 54 and that the eye E isprevented from being pulled through the hide by means of the reinforcerR which spreads the stress and strain over a larger area in the underportion of the hide.

In fastening the hook 59 to the fur garment G (Fig. 9), it is the usualpractice to secure the same to the under 6 side of one edge fold 67(opposite the edge fold 38 where the eyes are to be fastened). Further,this is usually done before the lining has been put in place andtherefore the anvil 68 is formed on the outer end of the base stretch 20quite similar to that illustrated in Figure 9 of the drawings.

The housing 25 of the head 24 for my machine B illustrated in Figures 10to 14 inclusive for holding the hook element 59 is quite similar to thatutilized for the eye element E except that the pin 31' of the guide andgrip: ping member 29 does not extend outwardly from the head but onlythat rear portion utilized to support the spring 36 is provided. Thehook 59 is also supported forward of the guide and gripping member 29'instead of behind it and therefore the forward face of the guide andgripping member 29 is formed with the grooves 64' which receive thesharp prong terminals 60 of the hook 59 as illustrated quite clearly inFigure 12 of the drawings. In order to support the hook 59 on theforward end of the head, I provide a forwardly extending support 69 anda separate holding member 70 which is provided at its top portion with afingerpiece 71 and at its lower portion with a holding and protectingfinger 72 which extends over the top of the hook portion 62 of hook 59and downwardly for a short distance at 73 so that the hook can not moverearwardly or forwardly on its support 69. While I have not shown thereinforcer R in connection with the hook or means for holding the sameon the anvils 68 or 38' respectively, it is to be understood that thereinforcer R is utilized with machine B in the same manner as it isutilized with the machine A and the sharp prong terminals 60 of the hook59, after the clinching operation will extend around the bar 50 of thereinforcer R in the same manner as the sharp prong terminals 52 of theeye E. The upper end of the holding member 70 provides a rest for thelower end of a leaf spring 74 which continuously urges the holdingmember downward and over the hook 59. In order to place the hook 59 inposition on the head 24 of the machine B, it is merely necessary toraise the holding member 70 by means of the finger piece 71 to itsdotted line position shown in Figure 11 and slip the hook on its support69. The finger piece 71 is then released and the holder will returnunder tension of the leaf spring 74 to its full line position wherefinger 72 will firmly hold the hook against movement.

It is to be noted that the guide and gripping member 29' performs thesame function as the guide and gripping member 29 and it can be seenupon an examination of Figures 10 to 12 inclusive that the hide H of thegarment G is firmly gripped between the top portion of the anvil 68 andthe bottom portion of the guide and gripping mem ber 29. The anvilmember 68 is also provided with a pair of parallel grooves 75 which actto turn the sharp prong terminal 60 back and up into the hide H.

Again it is to be stressed that the hook and eye elements and thereinforcer R may be utilized with any type of material whether cloth,plastic or fur and has many uses such as in clothing, seat covers and inalmost any conceivable instance where hooks and eyes are necessary ordesirable in fact the use of the reinforcer R will enable hooks and eyesto be used where heretofore it has not been practical because of thelack of strength of the material or its wear characteristics.

From the foregoing it is believed that the features and advantages of myinvention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and itwill, of course, be understood that changes in the form, portions andminor details of construction may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit of the invention or the scope of the pending claim.

I claim:

An apparatus for afiixing fastening elements of the hook and eye type tofur garments with each fastening element having sharp prong terminalscomprising, a body having an elongated hammer head unit and an anvilmember extending horizontally beneath said head unit,

' said head unit having an open position and being so constructed andarranged to have rear, side and front walls and being capable ofmovement downwardly to a clinch- 3 ing operation position, said anvilmember being of a size and configuration to be inserted between thelines of stitching of said fur garment, means on said head for receivingand holding a hook fastening element therein, said head being providedwith an elongated slot in its forward Wall, a vertically slidably guideand gripping element mounted in said head adjacent said forward Wall, apin secured to said guide and gripping element extending outwardlytherefrom and through said slot, a spring for continually urging theguide and gripping element downwardly to press against the garment andto overlie said' References Cited the fileof this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS,

Bradford I Nov. 7, Heaton Apr. 14, Gros etal. Oct. 4, West Dec. 3, SmallSept. 15, Michel Aug. 9, Michon Feb. 26, Smith Nov. 21, Zeruneith Jan.10, Curtiss Feb. 2, Lindstrom Aug. 1,

La Place Dec. 4,

